>>538871714
>Is elemental damage an extra bit of damage ON TOP of the raw hits?
Yes that's how it works, but do note that element is the strongest it's ever been in SB. With certain weapons (DB, SA, HH, courage style Hammer, etc) and against certain matchups, it can completely eclipse raw in such a way that raw is the extra bit of damage on top of elemental hits instead.

>Do monsters of a specific element receive no extra damage at all from element
I'm not sure I understand this question. Can you rephrase it?

>I'm enjoying Surge Slash for GS but can't be bothered to make a set for each separate element
That's fine, raw Surge Slash is pretty solid. SS benefits greatly from element thougheverbeit.